Collecting and folding mechanism for printing presses



Sept. 6, 1932. M. w. BRUESHABER 1,876,039

COLLECTING AND FOLDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Aug. 15. 1929 Patented Sept. 6, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

, MARTIN w. BRUESHAZBEE, or RIVER FOREST, ILLINO S, ASSIGNOR ro THE: GOSS erm. I, Ins rnnss 00., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS I COLLECTING ANDFOLDING MECHANISM Eon PRINTING rnnssns,

Application filed August 15,1929. Serial 1%. 386,096.

. cation of power to the folding and'collecting cylinders may be brought about, whereby the mechanism shall run at higher speeds with less vibration and there shall be less wear'on the driving gears and cooperating parts, and

' particularly whereby the wear on the parts shall be evenly distributed. It is another object ofmy invention to improve the supporting means for the operating parts whereby there Shall be greater rigidity and more continuously correct alignment, of the parts during the time when the apparatus is operating at high speed.

In collecting and folding mechanisms of this type heretofore for many years, there has always been objectionable outward bowing of the folding cylinder and the cutting cylinder with respect to each other between their supporting bearings whereby there has been more wear on the teeth of the driving gears at one part of the face than at another part. Also for a great many years there has been much greater wear upon certain critical teeth of the gears of the driving mechanism clear across the voperative faces of such teeth than upon the remaining teeth, with no way apparent for curing the defect, inasmuch as it is necessary that the cutting blade carried by the cutting cylinder always have engagement at the same point or points on the folding cylinder. It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a new construction whereby these difficulties shall be very greatly reduced if not entirely overcome.

It is another object of my invention to improve devices of this type in sundry details hereinafter 7 pointed out. The preferred means by which I have accomplished my several Objects are illustrated in the drawing and are hereinafter specifically described.

The drawing is a top or plan view of a folding machine comprising two folding mechanisms arranged side by side, the major portionsof the folding and cutting cylinders being broken away, and certain of the parts being consequently omitted. A

Referring to the drawing, 10 and 11 indicate heavy frame bars in spaced relation between which two folding mechanisms are mounted side by side. l Inasmuch as the foldingmechanisms are similar, I shall describe only one, similar reference'numerals being employed in connection with the other.

A folding cylinder 12 of any I approved type is mounted upon and carried by a heavy shaft 13 extending between the frame bars 10 and 11. A collecting and cutting cylinder 14' is mounted upon and carried by a shaft 15 extending between suitable bearings on the frame bars 10 and 11 in spaced relation to the shaft 13, the arrangement being such that the two cylinders revolve in contact with each other, the cutting cylinder 14 making precisely two revolutions to each single revolution of the folding cylinder, as is usual in mechanisms of thistype.

The folding cylinder 12 is provided with a folding blade 16 mounted upon a shaft 17 the blade 16 being operated by any suitable mechanism not shown. The cylinder is also provided with Shafts 18 and 19 revolubly mounted therein each provided with arms 20 at intervals along the cylinder having impaling pins 21 mounted in their outerends, such pins being operated in timed relation as is usual in connection with devices of this type by means of a stationary cam 22 operat-' ing upon rollers 23 carried by arms 24 fixedly mounted upon said shafts 18 and 19.

The cutting and collecting cylinder 1418 provided with a shaft 25 revolubly mounted therein having a plurality of arms 26mounted th'erealong, each of said arms 26 being provided'with an impaling pin 27 in its .outer d adapted to operate in the ordinary wellknown manner, such operation being effected by meansof an arm 28 mounted on the end of the shaft 25 and actuated by a roller 29 revolubly mounted thereon, such roller bea ing controlled and moved by a cam 3Ov revis driven at the desired speed by anysuitable driving mechanism not shown. For preventing any'tendency for the cutting cylinder-and the folding Cylinder to move outwardly. away from each other as the shafts 13 and 15ers driven at high speed,

i have provided an additional bearing for 1 each of said shafts, the shafts themselves pose. In the construction shown, such addi t'onal bearings are carried by a frame bar l in the form of a yoke rigidly 'securedto heframe-bar 11 at its ends, the bearings carried by the yoke 34 being in preciseali'gnment with the bearings carried by the frame bars and .11. tBy the,

provision of such auxiliary bearings for the rafts 13. and in exact alignment with the normal position ofthe supporting portions of said shafts, with such auxiliary bearingsheld very rigidly in position with-respect l each other and very ri idly in position with respect to the main bearings, the shafts l3 and 1 5 are braced'very stronglyagainst any tendency for outward bowing at their intermediate portions, while at the same time adding very little if any frictional load.

As is fully appreciated by hose familiar \viththeart, it is necessary in a collecting and cutting mechanism of this type that the cylinders'have definite integral ratio size so as to provide that the cutting blade of the one cylinder shall always engage the folding cylinderprecisely at the one ormore cutting points on the folding cylinder. Inasmuch as the load upon the driving gearing is necessarily very much heavier at just the instant when the webs are being cut than it is at any other point oftheir rota tion, the result has been that the gears have shown excessive wear at the teeth which are effective for the driving at the precise instant when the cutting of the webs is being eifected. By reason of this uneven load arrangement of the parts, it has been found difficult or impossible to operate the parts smoothly and uniformly. For improving the operation of this device, I have provided fly wheels 35 and 36, the former being mounted upon the shaft15 between the bearings carried by the yoke. 34 and those carried by the main frame bar 11, and the fly wheel 36 being mounted on'said shaft 15 at-the outer face of the frame bar 10. By the employment of the two heavy fly wheels as shown, I have produced a much more even and smooth rotation of the cylinders and have to a very large extent relieved'the excessive-load u on the teeth in critical position upon the driving gears for such parts.

By the use of the auxiliarybearings carried by the yokes 34, by which the cutting cylinder and the folding cylinder are prevented from bowing outwardly with respect to eachother, the gears 33 and 32. are held much more firmly in the desired adjusted position with respect toeach other, and the tendency for such gearsto cant slightly with respect to each other is "very materially decreased or completely eliminated, so that in my improved construction the wear upon the several, teeth of the gears is made even and uniform. By the use of the out bearings being appropriately 1 extended for this purfor the shafts as described, and the use of the fly wheels ,by whichthe particularly heavy load upon certain critical teeth ismore or less completely eliminated, the gears 32 and 33 are protected against excessive wear and their life is very materially increased. Moreover, by reason of the parts being held in their normal operative positions as distinguished from the tendency of the parts heretofore to spring out of normal position, the operation of the whole folding mechanism is improved and. the life of the device is materially increased. v y 1 While I prefer to employ substantially the construction as illustrated in my drawing and as above described, it is to be understood that I do not limit my invention to the pre': cise form shown except so far as the claims may be so limited by the prior art.

1. A collecting and folding mechanism for a printing press, comprising in combination oppositely disposed frame members a fold: ing cylinder journaled between said frame. members, a cutting cylinder journaled between saidrframe members in operative relationship to said folding cylinder, and means serving to brace said cylinders against bowing outwardly away from each other between said frame members.

2. A collecting and folding mechanism for a printing press, comprising in combination oppositely disposed frame members, a heavy shaft journaled between bearings on said frame members, a folding cylinder supported by said shaft between said frame members, a cutting cylinder journaled between said frame members in operative relationship'to said folding cylinder, and a third bearing for said shaft for holding theshaft continuously in longitudinal alignment and preventing bowing of the shaft between said first named bearings away from said cutting cylinder.

3. A collecting and folding mechanism for a printing press, comprising in combination oppositely disposed frame members, heavy shafts journaled between. bearings on said frame members, a folding cylinder supported on one of said shafts, a collecting and cutting ative relationship to said folding cylinder, a

heavy frame barin the form of' a yoke secured to one of said frame members, and bearings on said yoke or said shafts in spaced relation to said frame members for bracing the cylinders against bowing outwardly away from each other.

4:. A collecting and folding mechanism for a printing press, comprising in combination oppositely disposed frame members, heavy shafts journaled between bearings on said frame members, a folding cylinder supported on one of said shafts, a collecting and cutting cylinder supported on the other shaft in operative relationship to said folding cylinder, bearings for said shafts in spaced relation to said frame members, and intermeshing gears mounted on said shafts between said last named bearings and the bearings carried by the adjacent frame member held by said bearings in rigid adjusted engagement.

5. A collecting and folding mechanism for a printing press, comprising in combination oppositely disposed frame members, heavy shafts journaled between bearings on said frame members, a folding cylinder supported on one of said shafts, a collecting and cutting cylinder supported on the other shaft in operative relationship to said folding cylinder, bearings for said shafts in spaced relation to said frame members, and a fly-wheel carried by the shaft of said cutting cylinder between said last named bearing for said shaft and the bearing carried by the adjacent frame member serving to assist in holding the shaft in operative alignment and to carry the cutting cylinder smoothly past the point at which the cutting of the webs is effected.

6. A collecting and folding mechanism for a printing press, comprising in combination oppositely disposed frame members, heavy shafts journaled between hearings on said frame members, a folding cylinder supported on one of said shafts, a collecting and cutting cylinder supported on the other shaft in operative relationship to said folding cylinder, bearings for said shafts in spaced relation to said frame members, intermeshin'g driving gears mounted on said shafts between said last named bearings and the bearings carried by the adjacent frame member held by said hearings in rigid adjusted engagement with each other, and a fly-wheel carried by the shaft of said cutting cylinder adjacent to said driving gear serving to assist in holding the shaft in operative alignment to carry the cutting cylinder smoothly past the point at which the cutting of the webs is effected.

7. A collecting and folding mechanism for a printing press, comprising in combination oppositely disposed frame members, heavy shafts journaled between bearings on said frame members, a folding cylinder supported on one of said shafts, a collecting and cutting cylinder supported on the other shaft in operative relationship to said folding cylinder,v

bearings for said shafts in spaced relation to said frame members, intermeshing drivmg gears mounted on said shafts between said last named bearings and the bearings carried by the adjacent frame member held by said bearings in rigid adjusted engagement with each other, a fly-wheel carried by the shaft of said cutting cylinder adjacent to said driving gear serving to assist in holding the shaft in operative alignment to carry. the cutting cylinder smoothly past the point at which the cutting of the webs is effected, and a second fly-wheel carried by the shaft of said cutting cylinder adjacent to the frame member at the opposite end of said cutting cylinder. MARTIN W. BRUESHABER. 

